Malviya Nagar murder: Activists point to lack of deterrence, patriarchy

Women’s activists attributed the spate of such incidents in the city to larger societal issues, and lack of sensitisation among young men

Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) chief Swati Maliwal on Friday referred to the murder of a 22-year-old woman in broad daylight at Malviya Nagar, and said that there is a rise in the number of crimes being committed against women because there is a lack of deterrence for attackers, who, she claimed, often escape punishment.

The spot where Nargis Khan was murdered with an iron rod by her cousin in Malviya Nagar in New Delhi on Friday. (Raj K Raj/HT Photo)

Women’s activists, meanwhile, pointed to a deep-rooted patriarchal mindset behind such crimes.

“One of the biggest reasons for such incidents (crimes against women) is that there is a lack of deterrence... There is no certainty of punishment,” Maliwal said.

She also alleged that there is a lack of accountability by the police, in addition to shortage of resources.

“Even after the Shraddha case, there was no high-level meeting held where people discussed the issue. I have requested the Centre to hold such a meeting.”

Maliwal was referring to the murder of Shraddha Walkar by her boyfriend Aaftab Poonawala in May 2022. Poonawala allegedly killed Walkar at their rented accommodation in south Delhi’s Chhattarpur Pahadi.

He then chopped up the body into pieces and dumped them in forested areas in and around south Delhi to avoind being caught.

He was eventually arrested on November 12.

Women’s activists attributed the spate of such incidents to larger societal issues, and lack of sensitisation among young men.

Activist Poonam Kaushik said, “The incident (Friday’s murder) took place in broad daylight... which means that there are security lapses… Our patriarchal mindset and culture is another major reason for such incidents. There is a mindset that men own women — they think ‘agar meri nahi, toh kisi ki nahi’ (if not with me, then with no one else).”

She added that such cases can be curbed by holding authorities accountable, and building a more progressive culture, one where women are not treated as a commodity.

Aastha Chaudhry, psychotherapist and researcher, said, “Difficult conversations begin at home, in schools, in therapy clinics, amongst partners, at the workplace and amongst friends. The real work is in challenging our biases, both conscious and unconscious ones, strongly held notions of gender, a tireless fight by allies for equity, and an awareness of power relations.”

Suman Nalwa, Delhi Police spokesperson, said, “There are larger issues here, such as exposure to violence, especially when people are at a young and impressionable age. Some of the other issues can be breakdown of communities.”

She added, “We are committed to ensuring the safety of women in the city. Some of the initiatives that we have taken in the last few years in order to address the larger issues include increasing the percentage of women in police, presence of women cops in beats and on women helpline, the Himmat Plus app, and sensitisation trainings among young children.”